Up in Flames
by SpeedyFire
Summary: Set in the Avatar: Legend of Korra universe, about 20 years or so after Korra saved Republic City (not putting Book 2 into account). Zadia is the teenage daughter of Avatar Korra and Mako. The story follows her and her friends, and their exciting lives in Republic City. Expect a fun, easygoing story. Action and romance. Bit of angst because I can. Rated T for a bit of language.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic. It takes place in the Avatar: Legend of Korra universe. The setting is Republic City.**

**This story revolves around original characters, mainly Zadia (the narrator), but features Mako from LOK.**

**Hope you guys like it!**

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I dodged the fireball as it came hurtling towards me, but it missed me by an inch, almost charring my black and gold uniform.

"You okay?" May asked while bending a rock disk towards the waterbender on the Platypusbears, catching him in the chest and sending him over the line into the next zone.

"Fine," I replied. I narrowed my eyes, feeling more determined than ever. "Those idiots are so gonna regret getting on my bad side." I flipped into the air in a flaming wheel and kicked out fiery bursts towards the earthbender on the opposing team.

Meanwhile, Kenna was whirling around, throwing water attacks like a pro, pushing her firebending opponent further and further back towards the end of the ring. I knew what she was doing. Her strategy. This match was key. If we won this, the Lionhawks would make it into the tournament. Just one more knockout and we were home free.

The firebender's teammates saw what we were trying to do and fought back harder than ever. One of their attacks caught me hard in the arm. I was jerked back violently and sent spiraling into Zone 2. I groaned and tried immediately to get back onto my feet, but the pain from my arm was making me woozy. I hit the ground again before I was on my knees, making a frustrated noise. A little injury would _not_ get in the way of our victory.

I looked up to see May and Kenna being almost overwhelmed. _Shit. _

This was not going as planned. Kenna and May were outnumbered and outgunned.  
_One more KO. Just one more KO_, I told myself. _We can do this._  
I stood up on shaky legs, even though I knew that my arm was injured, probably sprained, maybe worse. I didn't know and didn't care.

The odds were most definitely not in our favor.

I noticed that the opposing firebender was all the way in Zone 3. Kenna and May could have taken him easily, but he was putting up quite a fight. He was dodging their attacks nimbly and launching fireballs at them when they paused to take a breath.

"Hey, Zadia!" he yelled. "Your dad might've been a probending champ in his time, but you don't have the guts to live up to him."

"Yeah!" the waterbender taunted. "How's it like living under Mako's shadow, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. It was pathetic how people always assumed that my only weakness in the sport was the fact that my dad was a probending legend. He was the one who pushed me harder than anyone else, but it wasn't like I had the experience he had. These goons thought they could put me off my game by shoving that fact in my face, just like so many opponents had tried to do before.

"Don't let them get to you, Z!" May's light brown hair was damp with sweat, but her eyes shined bright with excited energy.

I managed a small smile and she nodded to me encouragingly. I had always admired how May was the peacemaker, always cool and collected even in the worst of situations. She had my back no matter what. She also was constantly aware of when my anger started to get out of control. She knew that I was getting fired up to turn those damn Platypusbears into ash.

May shot me a look. Her message was plenty clear. _Control your temper or we'll lose the match._

I growled in frustration and tried to swallow down my rage. The rational part of my brain told me that an outburst would do more harm than good. I forced herself to focus, just as my father had trained me to do. May and Kenna were almost out of juice. We had one shot to turn this battle around.

Suddenly, the firebender launched an attack at Kenna, who was right in front of me. Kenna tried to block it with a wave of water, but her bending was completely drained. She tried to brace herself and take the hit, but the fireball knocked her back, right into me. By the force of momentum, Kenna barreled into me, and I went flying out of the ring.

The crowd gasped. But no one heard the ominous splash of water below the arena, signaling a knock-out.

I opened her eyes and nearly had a heart attack. I found myself levitating on an stone disc, suspended in mid-air, my head just below the edge of the ring. Somehow, May had managed to catch me on an earthly plate as I was falling.

I heard the crowd cheer, and crouched on the disk for a moment to catch my breath. Did the Platypusbears know I was still in the game? Probably not.

I was given another chance. I had to use it. With whatever energy I had left.

I leapt from the earth disk high above their heads. I twisted in midair, bringing my leg around in a flaming spin-kick. A wall of fire collided into the firebender, and he tumbled out of the ring.

The splash resonated through the deathly silent arena.

Then all hell broke loose.

The fans screamed and cheered as I collapsed onto the floor of the ring. The announcer, who had been doing the play-by-play of the match started yelling something about an unexpected comeback. I was too exhausted to hear exactly what he was saying.

May ran over to me, offering me her hand. I stood up, and we grinned at each other, looking over at Kenna who was taking off her helmet and waving to the ecstatic fans. The three of us stood in the middle of the arena and lifted our exhausted arms to the whooping crowd as the announcer was shouting, "Congratulations to the Lionhawks who will hopefully be continuing their fantastic winning streak in the tournament next week..."

* * *

I sauntered into the locker room, maintaining my pride despite my fatigue. I removed her helmet and let my bright red hair tumble down my back and swish back and forth as I walked.

"We nailed them out there!" I exclaimed to my friends who had already started to change out of their uniforms. "Fantastic job tonight, team. We made it into the tournament!"

We all whooped and laughed, enjoying our victory. I tried not to think about how close we had come to losing. Before that match, we had cruised through the play-offs, crushing the competition. It reminded me that not everything was easy-breezy. We needed that challenge.

"That was a nice trick with the disk there, May," I grinned and punched my best friend playfully in the shoulder. "Saved my ass out there. And you're bending was amazing tonight, Kenna! You totally whupped firebender butt!"

Kenna smiled, pleased. She played and coordinated so well with us that it was easy to forget that she had only just joined the team at the beginning of the season.

"We did good tonight, guys. And we're gonna kick ass in the tournament!" As the captain, I always felt like I needed to encourage the team, boost their morale. I knew that their spirit and energy were key in successfully winning a match.

As I opened my locker door, a sharp pain shot up my arm. _My arm! _I'd totally forgotten about it. I grimaced.

"Hey, Kenna." She turned to me. "Can you possibly use your healing mojo to fix up my arm? Think I sprained it."

"Of course." She came over and instructed me to sit down on the bench. She bended a bit of water from a nearby bucket and placed it over my wound. The water glowed as the healing properties took over. In a few minutes, the pain was gone.

"Thanks." I grinned at her and she smiled back at me.

We all changed into our casual clothes and headed out the door of the locker room talking and laughing. We stepped outside of the arena to a frenzied mob, who started shouting and cheering at our arrival. Kenna waved to the fans, loving the attention as always, and the three of us started making our way through the crowd towards the street.

"Crazy crowd tonight," I commented when we finally pushed their way past. I looked over my shoulder at the mob of people and noticed a boy with tousled dark hair standing at the edge of the crowd. He caught my eye and smirked. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he winked at me. I frowned. _What...? _But the boy just turned away from me and the crowd, disappearing down the street. _Weird. _I shook my head to clear it and turned to my friends who were looking at me a little strangely.

"Everything alright?" May looked a little concerned. Was I still frowning?

"Fine," I replied. "It was probably nothing."

Kenna shrugged off the moment of unease. She pushed her short dark hair away from her eyes and changed the subject. "I believe this calls for a celebration, girls! Dinner at Lyla's, on me!"

We smiled and agreed, and all three of us headed towards the restaurant with our heads held high.

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**That's the end of the first chapter. I know it's kinda short, but the second chapter is longer, I swear. Tell me what you guys think! PLEASE REVIEW! I'm always happy to hear any comments so I can perfect my writing in later chapters.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dinner at Lyla's!  
This chapter is a little longer than the previous one.**

**Enjoy(:**

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It was around 8 on a Saturday, so Lyla's was jam-packed. The popular diner was a frequent teen hangout, and a favorite place to grab a snack after practice for probenders, being closer to the arena. The girls and I went there often after practice to do homework and meet up with friends and such.

Tonight, we slipped into a booth near the entrance of the diner, wanting to avoid the older teens near the bar. I had a feeling that they'd been enjoying one too many bowls of seaweed noodles.

"Order whatever you want. I'm paying," Kenna said. Basically, her parents were loaded, so she usually offered to fund our social activities. We wouldn't let her at first, but she had money to burn and wouldn't take no for an answer.

A young waiter walked up to us, asking for our order almost as soon as we were seated.

"I'll have the stewed sea prunes, please," Kenna said, smiling and batting her long eyelashes at the waiter.

I made a face, partly from the mention of Kenna's favorite Water Tribe dish, and partly from the fact that she tended to flirt with every guy she met. I guess that with looks like hers, Kenna could get away with anything. She was one of the most popular girls at school after all. I really didn't care much for dating or flirting. Who had time for a boyfriend when you were balancing a professional career and a ton of schoolwork?

I'm pretty sure that May noticed my expression, but didn't comment. "I'll just have a lychee juice," she said sweetly. May was kind and gentle to everyone she met, and always had something nice to say. I knew that many people whispered behind their hands about how her attitude was unusual for an earthbender, but thankfully no one doubted her top-notch skills. I knew from experience that if you said anything against May, expect a rock-fist to the face.

I decided on the beef fried rice in a spicy cabbage stew and received the traditional eye-rolls from both of my friends.

"Disgusting," Kenna said in mock disapproval. "How can you eat that much all the time and not even gain a little bit of fat?"

I was about to argue that for someone who cared about her looks so much, she wasn't exactly a slacker when it came to eating either. Instead, I said simply, "Power needs fuel."

She stuck her tongue out at me.

The waiter returned to the kitchen to put in our orders, and our conversation turned to the details of our latest exciting match.

"I still can't believe that we were this close to losing." May emphasized her point by making a tiny gap between her thumb and index finger. "Honesty, I don't know what we would have done if we didn't make it into the tournament."

I didn't even want to think about it. Going down before we even made it into the tournament? Humiliating. What would my dad think?

The waiter returned with our orders and Kenna and I quite ungracefully dug into our grub. I was always hungry, but matches made me starving.

May sipped her lychee juice quietly.

"With our undefeated winning streak, we have a pretty good chance of grabbing the title this year," I continued, grinning. "We really need to step up our game, elongate our practice time, and-"

"Excuse me." Lost in our conversation, we hadn't noticed that a group of guys had approached our table until one of them spoke up.

"We couldn't help but overhear you ladies talk about your probending match. Aren't you girls the famous Lionhawks?" We looked up in surprise to see three guys standing over our table. _And you are...?_

The one who spoke had sandy hair, a smooth voice, and a mischievous glint in his bright amber eyes. "We're probenders too," he boasted. "Mind if we join you ladies?" He didn't wait for an answer, just slid smoothly into the booth next to May, who raised an eyebrow and scooted a little closer to the window at the sudden invasion of space.

I frowned. Who did this dude think he was?

"Excuse my friend Raiko here. He has a way of making an impression," another boy chortled as he slid into the other side of the booth, right next to me. I turned to glare at him. "What exactly do you think you're-" I faltered as a realized from his half-smile that it was the guy who had winked at me outside of the arena. "Hey, aren't you-"

"Ky." He smiled and ran a hand through his unkempt ebony hair. "And you're Zadia. It's actually quite an honor to meet such a skilled bender such as yourself."

"I-" I had to admit, I was dumbfounded. I'd never received such good comments on my bending from someone my age before. Honestly, I didn't know how to take it.

"Thanks," I muttered weakly. I mentally chastised myself for letting my guard down so easily. Ky's blue eyes sparkled in response.

The guy who hadn't introduced himself yet sidled into the booth next to Raiko and May. He had a bulkier figure, with bulging biceps that Kenna eyed.

"And I'm Thom. I'm the captain of our probending team, the Badgermoles." His green eyes were stony and serious. "We've heard a lot about your team. Undefeated season, eh? Not bad."

I guess that this was considered high praise for him.

Kenna smiled at him from across the table. "Thanks!" she giggled. "And it's great that you guys are into probending too! Are you in the tournament?"

"Yup." Raiko smirked. "Our first match is Wednesday night."

"Same for us. We've got a lot of practicing to do before the match. In fact...maybe you guys could join us tomorrow?" May suggested, getting a little more comfortable with the newcomers. "We could all show our skills a little, see what each of us can do."

I shot her a look that clearly said, _Are you kidding? They're our competition! They're the enemy! _that May ignored. Couldn't she see that we couldn't just show them our strengths and weaknesses?

"It'll just be a little workout," May promised, probably trying to smooth down my obvious objections. "Nothing much. I know we're on different teams, but it could be fun."

I was still glaring daggers at her, but everyone else seemed to like the idea.

"Sunday afternoon it is!" exclaimed Ky.

_Perfect, _I thought, defeated.

"Hey, what school do you ladies go to?" Raiko asked.

"Dragondance Academy," Renna responded.

"Ah, I heard their curriculum is pretty tough for an all-girls school," Raiko said. It was. Just ask my piles of textbooks and papers sitting on my desk at home. "We hail from Memorial Prep ourselves," Raiko added.

Memorial was an all-boys school, specifically, our brother school, I remembered. Our schools frequently held social events together, but I never really had interest in going to them. They were usually just lame dances and such. Bo-ring.

I checked the clock on the wall of the diner. Ten thirty already! Dad would flay me alive for being late.

"Um, I gotta run. I've got chores to do at home," I lied. Ky got up to let me out of the booth.

"Shame," he said. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow at practice." He smiled that half-smile again.

"Yeah, see you then," I replied uncertainly.

My friends waved goodbye as I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. Once outside, I looked back to where May and Kenna were talking and laughing with their new "acquaintances." I sighed. I wished that Mako would let me have more of a social life. His expectations of me had gone through the roof, especially after...

I mentally shook myself. No. I had to remain strong for his sake. Even if it cost me a little of my free time.

I looked to the dark sky, a little foggy with light pollution. I put two fingers to her lips and whistled loud and clear as a bell.

Almost immediately, a majestic red dragon about the size of a Satomobile emerged from the darkness, flapping his powerful wings. I smiled up at him; he really was a sight to behold. The dragon landed right in front of me and snorted in my face, blowing strands of hair away from my forehead.

"It's good to see you too, Talon," I rubbed his scaly hide with affection. "But two words, man: breath mint."

Talon just snorted at me again and I grinned at him. I jumped onto his back with the ease and practice of someone who'd done it countless times before (which I had). Talon took off as soon as he knew I was on and secure, and we started in the direction of our apartment.

l smiled with pleasure. I felt my long hair whipping around behind me as we raced over streets and between buildings. I adored flying, it gave almost as good of a rush as a heated probending match. I sighed and wrapped my arms around my dragon's neck, as we soared over the city streets towards home.

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**Next chapter will have more on Talon, and on Zadia's past. Plus, you'll get to meet Mako and maybe hear what happened to Avatar Korra!**

**Please please review! I appreciate the follows and support of my fic so far(:**

**Thank you guys for sticking with me!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I basically spent the entire day holed up in my room writing this. **

**Be prepared for some fatherly love and an angsty flashback.**

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Talon touched down on the roof of me and my dad's apartment, a two-story townhouse near Yue Bay. I slipped off my dragon's back and pet him lovingly.

"Thanks, Talon." I smiled and hugged his neck as he nuzzled me with his head, his whiskers brushing my hair. Talon had been with me for as long as I could remember. My father had brought the dragon egg home as a souvenir from Ember Island; he had found it in a craggy cave near the volcano when he and my mother had gone exploring. I had taken care of the egg for months like it was my own baby until it finally hatched, and baby Talon popped out. I've continued to care for him ever since. We knew that we had each other's backs, and we treated each other like we were practically siblings.

I stroked his scaly neck and whispered a goodnight to my pet and he lumbered over to his nest of twigs and leaves. He slept on the roof of our apartment because he loved being in the open air, but he usually hid inside the abandoned tool shed when it rained. Talon settled down on top of the blanket I had placed there and curled up, tucking his nose under his tail. He always looked so peacefully harmless when he slept. It was adorable.

I started down the stairs towards my apartment, which was right below on the second floor. Ma Tashi, a nice elderly lady, lived below us on the ground level. Her son had been an equalist back in my mom's day and had disappeared, never to be seen since. Ma lived alone, but she was a kind old woman who made the best homemade fire flakes in the world and told stories about days of peace after the 100 year war.

I took out my key from my pocket and slowly opened the door to our apartment. I slipped inside, throwing the keys onto the small table near the door and walker into the living room where my father was sitting on the couch, working on his police report for Chief Saikhan. His reading glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose and a mug of hot tea sat next to him as he shuffled through his paperwork. He glanced up at me briefly as I approached him and flopped onto the couch next to him. Might as well just get this over with now.

Mako frowned at me.

"Where the hell were you?"

He didn't exactly phrase it as a question, as his deep voice spoke calmly and powerfully.

No "Great job at the match, honey" or "Congrats for making it into the tournament" or even a "How are your friends doing?"

I sighed in exasperation. I knew that he had been listening to the match on the radio; it was still on softly in the corner, announcing a new flavor of Flameo's Instant Noodles.

"Having a quick snack post-match," I replied. "I'm sorry for being late."

And that was that.

There wasn't a need to get into an argument about it, Dad never could stay mad at me. I knew deep down that he loved me, even though he didn't show it much.

I crossed my legs and leaned on his shoulder, glancing at what he was working on. It was a report of a crime that happened a few days ago. I remembered it because I had to eat dinner alone that night. A mob of former equalists had somehow gotten their hands on old equalist weaponry and were trying to smuggle them out of the city. Mako and a squadron of metalbenders had neutralized the threat, but he still had to do the annoying paperwork that followed. He always told me about his exciting jobs as a cop in Republic City, but unceasingly complained about the inevitable paperwork after every one. I loved hearing his stories, but I was glad that I didn't have to do any kind of report after I won a probending match. Ugh, how awful.

Mako turned his head towards my tired one and fingered a piece of my long red hair. I looked at it...and suddenly my body tensed.

I was thrown into a vision from long ago.

* * *

_Avatar Korra's breathing was fast and shallow as she tried to keep ahead of the of lava that was hot on her tail. Beside her, her husband was using his firebending to try to keep the flaming current at bay, but he was clearly being overpowered. Korra herself was unable to help him due to the raven-haired child squirming in her arms._

_"Mako, we need to reach the water!" she yelled over the sound of the lava ripping through buildings behind them. They sprinted down the mountain, Korra trying to maintain a safe distance ahead of the fiery wave with the extra weight slowing her down._

_Mako propelled himself to the roof of a vacation home so he could judge the distance between themselves and the beach. He breathed in relief as he noticed the water's edge a few yards ahead of him._

_"Korra! We're almost there!" She nodded and ran towards the water through a gap between two houses. Suddenly, a crack split the air as the house on her right collapsed from the tremors of the erupting volcano. The debris crashed down right in front of the Avatar's path, which made her jump back. She tried to use one hand to throw an air-slash towards the obstacle, but her bending was too weak with her energy drained. The heat from the approaching lava didn't help matters either._

_Mako, who was already standing on the beach, screamed "No!" as he saw his wife's exit collapse around her. He ran back to start searching for her, but another huge piece of debris fell in front of him._

_Meanwhile, Korra planned on moving around the destroyed vacation home towards the beach, but as she turned around to go back from where she came from, the wave of lava had already caught up to them. It crashed between the buildings and over the Avatar and her child with a deafening roar._

_"NO!" Mako cried out in agony as the lava pushed past the wreckage and continued making its way towards the edge of the water. "KORRA!"_

_He wanted to break down in a fit of despair, but his rationality saved him. He dove into the water as a cloud of pumice and ash followed. The wave of lava fizzled and hissed when it hit the cool ocean. Mako stayed under the water until his lungs were about to burst, then finally broke the surface, trying to take gasping breaths in the smoky air. The wave of lava was gone. All that remained was a layer of ash blanketing Ember Island and the smoking remainders of the buildings and homes._

_Mako tiredly made his way over to the wreckage, calling out his lover's name. He pushed his way through the debris, intent on finding his wife and daughter alive._

_He suddenly heard a tiny cough that seamed to be coming from the center of the wreckage. Mako's spirits soared. They were alive! He desperately shoved away burnt planks and stone, and found a tiny bundle on the floor. His wife was nowhere to be found, but he picked up the bundle. Inside, his baby lay, unconscious but alive, her once-dark hair now glowing like the brightest ember._

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**Please please PLEASE review! Tell me what you think of the flashback! Feedback would be immensely appreciated**.


	4. Chapter 4

**So I decided to change my story into the first person (with Zadia's point of view, duh). I also revised my previous chapters. A LOT. I personally think that they're ten times better than before. So please please please, if you're with me, then I recommend re-reading the past three chapters. They're not long at all, and I think it will be worth your time.**

**ANYHOO. I spent a long time with this chapter, expect a little more angst in the beginning and prepare to be a bit surprised. Don't forget to review!(:**

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I gasped, my mind returning to the present. My vision had been...a memory? I'd never seen such a vivid one before.

I was still trying to comprehend what I saw, but I was fairly certain that I had seen the death of my mother.

Avatar Korra.

The only thing I had remembered of my late mother in earlier years was a warm smile and a hearty laugh.

Of course, my father had told me the story of Korra's death and how he had found me in the rubble countless times. He told it as if I had somehow been born in fire, a single spark of light after the apocalypse.

How I even managed to survive was still a mystery to both of us.

I looked down at the lock of hair that Dad was still holding, bright as a lit coal. It was the only artifact of remembrance to prove the story, of my survival, of my mother's downfall.

It was all true. Terrifyingly true.

I was a living miracle.

I hadn't fully believed it before that instant.

Mako turned to me in worry. He must have felt me tense up beside him.

"Everything alright?"

The second time someone had asked me that that night.

A tiny tear trickled down my cheek, surprising both me and my father. When was the last time I cried? I couldn't remember. All my life I had remained stony cold, my father's rock.

Nothing could break me.

"I had the memory...about...mom's death."

I wasn't entirely sure about whether I was allowed to call Korra "mom". The overlapping time in our lives had been merely two months.

Mako's face turned ashen. Completely stony. I knew he  
would have this kind of reaction, knew that all of these years he blamed himself. He tore himself up about it every day, the love of his life gone from the world. He tried to hide it. But I was painfully aware.

I was the only thing he had left.

* * *

I woke up yawning, stretching my tanned and toned arms over my head. My sore joints creaked in complaint as I leaned over to peek outside the curtains of my window. Bright sunlight poured through, but I could tell it was fairly early in the morning, earlier still for it being a Sunday.

I trudged into the kitchen, hating myself for not sleeping in later like a proper teenager.

My stomach grumbled like Talon sometimes does when he sleeps. _Well, might as well make breakfast while I'm up._

I had grown to be pretty decent in the kitchen. When I was younger and Dad had been coming home late most nights and Flameo's Instant Noodles just weren't cutting it, I'd put her nose to the grind and learned how to make my own meals. It wasn't too hard learning to cook after the first few times I'd almost burned the kitchen down.

The corn cakes were sizzling on one pan and the maple syrup was heating on another, and I had no trouble handling both. I turned the stove off and put a stack of corn cakes on my plate, pouring on generous amounts of the sticky-sweet substance. I plopped down into a chair in the dining room and watched the boats and cargo ships take their sweet time down Yue Bay. Everything was just so peaceful in the city early in the day.

When I finished my breakfast, I left the remainder of the cakes on a plate resting on the counter for when Mako woke up. I was just about to prepare some of his favorite oolong tea, when I reached into the box to find it empty of tea leaves. _Shit_. Mako would not be a happy camper when he woke up and found a lack of his daily pick-me-up. I sighed and lumbered back into my room to change into decent clothes.

A trip to the market was in order.

* * *

I swung around my bag of tea lazily as I headed home from the market. My mind wandered towards our upcoming afternoon practice. Why did May offer for our two teams to practice together anyways? Was it because Raiko was eyeing her, because I swore I saw them glancing at each other all through dinner.

I was so lost in my petty thoughts that I hadn't noticed that I had accidentally wandered down some random side street. I turned around and saw the main avenue behind me. I had just turned for some reason.

I started to walk back towards the avenue when I noticed a shift in the shadows of an alleyway, a small gap between two apartment buildings. Was it a squirrelcat or something? I drew a little closer to get a better look when suddenly a pair of arms thrusted out from the shadows and grabbed my shirt.

I gasped in utter surprise. I was dragged into the alleyway and shoved up against a wall. My arms were pinned and my eyes tried desperately to see in the darkness.

"Where's ya money?" A gravely voice snarled in my ear. "Gimme some yuans, girly."

My eyes finally adjusted to the dim light of the alleyway. A scraggly man with ripped clothes and about four days of stubble stood directly in front of me. He was the one pinning my arms to the wall.

His accomplice stood a little further behind him. I saw the blade of a pocketknife in his hand, the light from the speck of sunlight above shining onto the metal.

I glared at Thug #1. "I don't have any money."

"Really, darlin'? Let's find out." Thug #1 motioned to Thug #2, who started to walk towards us, probably planning to search me for cash.

He never made it that far, though. These guys may have had my arms secured, but they had ignorantly forgotten to pin my legs.

In a flash, I brought my legs up to my chest and kicked powerfully, sending Thug #1 flying towards the back wall. He groaned and slid down it, clutching his chest. I'd probably broken a rib or two with a two-legged kick like that. Oops.

My problems weren't over yet. Thug #2 advanced towards me slowly, his knife flickering back and forth.

He lunged with the blade, aiming high cut for my face. I ducked easily. While I was in a crouched position, I planted my hands on the ground and flipped up, doing a handstand right in front of the thug. Since his attack had fallen short, his head was leaned forward. My feet caught him under the jaw and his head snapped back.

I landed back into a crouch position. Thug #2 was staggering around a little, but his eyes were murderous. As I stood up, he went in with his knife again. I tried to hop back and dodge it, but I lost my footing a little from standing up so fast. The knife grazed my left arm and I cried out.

_Dammit._

The blood started dribbling onto the filthy pavement, but I ignored it. I felt my rage start to brew.

Quick as lightning, my leg came around in a huge roundhouse kick. My foot caught Thug #2 in the chest and he stumbled backwards, winded. I darted forward and landed a right hook to his jaw for good measure. His eyes rolled up in his head as he crumpled to the ground next to his partner.

Well that was a crisis avoided. I leaned down and tore off a piece of one of the goons' shirts. It would have to do for a temporary bandage. I wrapped it around the room and pulled the sleeve of my shirt back down my arm. Didn't want anyone asking questions.

I picked up the bag of tea I had dropped near the entrance of the alleyway and quickly headed towards the main avenue, not wanting to meet any other thugs on my way.

Dad was _so_ gonna kill me.

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I winced as a cleaned out my wound with a medical cleanser. The cut wasn't deep, but I figured it would leave a pretty ugly scar.

I had decided that I would tell Mako that I'd been nicked by my opponent's sword in practice. It was completely believable, as that had happened to me multiple times before. My father might have taught me everything I needed to know about firebending, but my skills in martial arts and training with katanas I had accomplished on my own time. I thought it necessary to not only rely on my firebending. Besides, integrating my martial arts skills into my bending completely improved it.

I bandaged my arm and checked the time. It was almost noon. Meaning I had about an hour to kill before I needed to start heading for the arena.

Mako was already gone, probably at work, so I did a few chores around the house. I did the dishes from breakfast and folded clothes. I swept outside our door and waved to Ma Tashi, who was just coming in from a trip to the post office.

I went back inside, shoved the broom back into the closet, and checked the time again. 12:30. I glanced around the house.

There was nothing else to do, so I decided to go to the arena early. I grabbed by work-out bag and my keys and walked out the door.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I won't be that person who complains extensively about their workload, so let's just say I've been busy.**

**This chapter's a bit longer I think. I kind of rushed through the end a bit, so please review and tell me what you think.**

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The training room was thankfully deserted.

It was always kinda awkward running into more elderly men who were allowed to use the room to "stay in shape." Not to mention the boys who attempted to lift a 70 pound barbel with their pinky in order to impress you. Ugh.

I had changed into a black tank-top that I usually wore for working out and slim pants. I worked my hair into a high ponytail as I crossed the room towards an array of training mats which were usually used for sparring.

I dropped my duffel bag next to a mat and unzipped it, taking out my katanas. They were twin blades, about the length of my arm with leather-bound hilts and engravings of dragons along the edges. They'd been a gift from Dad. Yet another souvenir from Ember Island. Another item salvaged.

I remembered how my father had granted the swords to me all those years ago in their decorative sheathes, and admitted how he didn't know how to use them.

Yeah, I know that giving a five-year-old girl double-edged weapons of terror may not be the greatest idea in the long run, but we were a family of risk-takers.

I could remember his small smile as he handed the too-long and too-heavy blades to me and closed my tiny fists around the hilts.

_They're yours. I think you'll have more use for them than I would. You have your entire life ahead of you to master this skill._

He told me how he had acquired the swords. They had been hanging on display in a bazaar where Mako and Korra were out shopping. The shine of the blades and the beautiful patters on the sheathes caught the eyes of both of them.

"Korra was the one who picked it out," Dad had told me, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "She insisted that she wouldn't leave the market without them. Your mother had a knack for making rash decisions and thinking about it later."

I had accepted the gift gladly, gratefully, even after I knew the history behind it. I stared down in awe at the intricate carvings on the colorful sheathes. Even then, in that small state of being, I knew that having more than one skill would ultimately be the most useful.

I secured the straps that I had attached to the sheathes to my back. I reached behind me in an accustomed gesture to remove the swords. My hands curled confidently around the leather grips, a familiar comfort.

I turned and walked towards where lines of stuffed dummies stood waiting.

The next few minutes were a blur. I always lost myself in swordplay. I sharpened up some of my forms and integrated some martial arts techniques into my practice.

I cut down a dummy using a upper slash and box kick and was just about to search for my next target when I whirled around and almost decapitated Ky with my swinging blades.

Thankfully, his reflexes were fast enough and jumped back before the swords connected with his neck. _Oops. _

"Whoa, whoa!" He chuckled a little, his hands up in surrender.

I lowered my blades and narrowed my eyes at him. He should have known better than to approach me while I was practicing forms. Seriously, who just walked up to a teenager who was swinging around deadly weapons?

"I didn't know you were into sword work," he continued, seemingly unfazed by my narrowed stare. He stepped forward again after my swords were down.

"Just a hobby," I replied, stretching behind me to sheath the blades. I was consciously aware of the fact that I had already been working out for about half an hour; practice was starting soon.

"Impressive." He raised an eyebrow and made that infuriating half-smile again.

I couldn't help but notice that the white tank-top he was wearing hugged his muscular chest and that his arms were tan and toned. His longish scruffy black hair was messy, but in a good-looking way.

_Dammit._

I refused to think that way. Nope. No attraction here. Fuck Ky and his shampoo commercial hair.

I still felt uncomfortable that he threw out compliments so easily, so casually. I tried to move the topic away from myself.

"So, um, you guys have that match on Wednesdsy, huh?"

_Wow, Zadia. Way to ask what you already knew. Idiot._

"Yup, first match of the tournament. For you too, right?"

"Yeah." Small talk was clearly not my forte. "Uh, sorry for almost...you know." I motioned to the katanas strapped to my back.

He simply laughed. "No worries. I have plenty of practice dodging offending obstacles."

I didn't doubt it. He was a probender after all. Or so he claimed.

Our teammates had started trickling in. May waved to me as she started to wrap her hands, prepping for training.

"Hi, Z!" Kenna bounded over after she had plopped her bag down next to mine. "Let's get bending!" She then noticed who I was talking to.

"Oh!" She smiled sweetly. "Hey, Ky. I guess we'll be practicing together since we're both waterbenders. I can't wait to see all of you guys in action!" She giggled and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh. I thought..." Ky glanced at me quickly and trailed off. "Never mind." He put on a polite smile.

That's when Raiko made his entrance.

"Hello ladies!" He sauntered over to us, grinning. I noticed Ky roll his eyes and I felt slightly amused. I guess we all had one.

I walked back towards my bag to stash my katanas. Wouldn't be needing those anymore. Purely firebending now.

Thom arrived, and all of us separated by element. Which meant I was partnered with Raiko a.k.a Mr. Smooth. Great.

I suggested that we spar for a while. I hadn't sparred another firebender one-on-one in ages. Mako had had less and less time to spend practicing with me since he'd been promoted to detective.

Raiko agreed, and we walked over  
to a vacant training mat, standing on opposite sides. We got into our battle positions, hands up, knees slightly bent, a traditional firebending stance.

I scrutinized my opponent. He never stopped moving, shifting his weight from foot to foot slightly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He kept his fists close to his face. I assumed from studying him that he mostly utilized speed and agility, the beanpole he was. His limbs were loose and his stance was sloppy, but I noticed his muscles were tense and waiting to strike. Or evade. Whichever came first.

My own pose was perfect and precise, just as I wanted it to be. My hands were up, not in fists but with my index and middle fingers pointed and together. The rest of my fingers were curled. This style of firebending had take me years to master. I had gotten the idea from my father, after he had told me stories about Azula, the late Firelord Zuko's sister. Although I was told she had been pretty evil and opposed Avatar Aang and his friends, she had apparently been a master firebender, one of the best. Trying to duplicate her unique style of firebending had been difficult, but it had proven to be a good challenge. And very rewarding.

Raiko made the first move.

He lunged at me, a flaming fist aimed at my chest, which I sidestepped. I returned the attack, whirling around to spin-kick fire at his back, but he anticipated the move and ducked. While on the ground he kicked out and tripped me. My back hit the ground and I was winded for a moment. I propelled myself to my feet and thrust out my hand, two fingers extended towards him. A tendril of fire curled around his arms, and he struggled against the bonds.

He kept at it for endless minutes, me mostly attacking, him mostly dodging. Just as I had suspected, Raiko depended mostly on agility, which made him a tricky target to hit.

At one point, when we were both almost out of energy, Raiko had me pinned to the mat with a foot on my chest and one hand ablaze. He smirked confidently.

He probably thought I was out of juice completely. Well, I was pretty drained, but I still had enough left for maybe one more attack...

All I needed was a little distraction.

"Oh well," I sighed loudly so I could be heard by the entire room. "Looks like you got me."

I know what you're thinking. Me giving up that easy?

Hah. Like hell I was.

"Really? You beat Zadia?" May's voice sounded completely shocked. She smiled at Raiko. "Nice job!"

Just as I predicted, Raiko grinned at her, flexing his muscles a bit. "Well, I-"

He never got to finish his thought though, because I was already grabbing his foot and shoving it off my chest, swinging his leg around and then depositing him neatly on the mat beside me.

Raiko was shocked, naturally, and was frozen on the mat, his body rigid with surprise.

And then I was the one with a foot  
on his chest.

I made a mocking _tsk tsk_ noise.

"Never get distracted," I chided. "And always be aware of who's in control."

I stepped off his chest and extended my hand down to him. He grinned and stood up.

"Nice one, red. Didn't see it coming." Full of swagger as usual.

I offered a small smile and looked around to see what everyone else was doing. May winked at me, and I knew that she wasn't surprised at all that I had come out on top. She had known me for too long, knew that I never gave in easy. Ever.

Kenna and Ky were working on aim control with their water whips, using the dummies. Ky paused in his practice to lock eyes with me for a moment. He nodded and smiled, and for once I managed a small smile back at him. Just this once. While I was lost in my euphoria.

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